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After a nine-year, 29-fight career, MMA pioneer Megumi
Fujii’s retirement bout against American Jessica
Aguilar ended on a bit of sour note, as Fujii was unable to
answer the call for round three due to damage suffered from an
accidental eye poke. The rematch with Aguilar served as the main
event for Vale Tudo Japan 3rd, which featured a number of “Japan
vs. USA” themed bouts on Oct. 5 at the Ota City General Gymnasium
in Tokyo.

The main event started out close, with both women searching for
their rhythm between boxing exchanges. About two minutes into the
round, Fujii received her second eye poke of the frame, as
Aguilar’s nailed scratched the corner of Fujii’s eyelid. Fujii
seemed unable to continue at first, but after about a 10-minute
rest period, she chose to go on. The damage in her eye began to
show, as Aguilar made use of the opportunity and began to find her
target easier and easier.

After receiving a multitude of punches, Fujii’s eye began to swell
even more and her defensive skills faltered. At the end of round
two, the doctor was called in to check the damaged eye and decided
he could not let the fight continue. While the bout would have been
declared a no-contest originally, it was called a technical
knockout victory for Aguilar because Fujii chose to finish out the
two rounds before stopping the fight. Afterward, the
American Top Team product expressed her gratitude to the
legendary Japanese fighter, as the two embraced each other in
tears.

Widely regarded as the best female fighter to compete in the sport
of MMA, Fujii ends her career with a record of 26-3.